News
Inclusion of Vulnerable, Marginalized Groups in Decision Making Key to Ending Crisis in West Africa- Tunis
Inclusion of Vulnerable, Marginalized Groups in Decision Making Key to Ending Crisis in West Africa- Tunis
By: Michael Mike
The rising crisis in West Africa, which include military coups and insecurity, inequality has been identified as one of the major factors causing the upsurge.
Even as supporting the participation of people from vulnerable and marginalized groups in the decision-making and democratic processes of the societies
has been recognized to be the key to continued peace, security and sustainable development.
Speaking at the opening of the delocalized meeting of the Joint Committee of the ECOWAS Parliament, bringing together the Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and the African Peer Review Mechanism, the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights and the Committee on Social Affairs, Gender and Women Empowerment holding in Monrovia, Liberia, the Speaker of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Rt Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis acknowledged that every meeting of the Parliament is an opportunity to analyze and make proposals to better understand and control political, economic, and social developments in West Africa.
Tunis, while noting that the meeting will focus on one of the priorities of ECOWAS Vision 2050, which is to promote good governance and consolidate irreversible peace, security, as well as development in the region, however said: “As we all know, inequality has been one of the bases or causes of subversive acts in our region.
“The marginalization of vulnerable groups from important decision-making processes, particularly ethnic or religious minorities, women and young people, provides fertile ground for conflict of violent extremism.”
He said: “We must convince ourselves that supporting the participation of people from vulnerable and marginalized groups in the decision-making and democratic processes of our societies is imperative for peace, security and sustainable development.”
The Speaker added that: “Political inclusivity has the advantage of enabling all points of view to be expressed and taken into consideration, and of enhancing the representation of every segment of the population, including women and young people.”
He revealed that the delocalized meeting, which is being held on the theme: “Enhancing political inclusivity in the participatory governance process: a mechanism for promoting peace and security “, was part of activities designed by the ECOWAS Parliament to continually demonstrate its openness to the citizens of the region, stressing that it also provides an opportunity to share experiences and collaborate with national institutions in the pursuit of the integration objectives of ECOWAS.
Liberia’s Vice President, Dr. Jewel Howard Taylor lamented that political inclusivity is still far from being achieved, insisting that going by a few statistics as indicated by a January 2023 UN Women Facts and Figures report, women on the continent particularly and globally in general are still yet to be accorded the acceptable number in distribution of political offices.
She noted that inclusive political processes are crucial to sustaining peace and conflict prevention; establishing and strengthening political processes aimed at improving the participation and political influence of citizens; making governments and institutions more accountable and transparent, and building a stronger and more inclusive social contract between government and the people for greater access to opportunities, amongst other issues.
Taylor said though much has been done over the past 30 years to bring to the front burner the issue of equal participation of both genders, but the fact remains that even at the ECOWAS Parliament where the mandatory acceptable standard is a minimum 30% representation from each member state ; current statistics indicated that out of 115 members only 21 members are females, a mere 18.26%.
She argued quoting an unknown author that: “A woman is human. She is not better, wiser, stronger, more intelligent, more creative or more responsible than a man. Likewise, she is also not less…” She asked the parliamentarians that “as you navigate the discussions on the way forward towards greater peace and security in our sub-region, I crave your indulgence to proffer policy prescriptions which compel our National Governments to take affirmative actions for the inclusion of women at all levels in the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of governments.”
President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, in his speech, noted that the disconnect between the government and its citizens is a contributing factor to the volatility and threats to democracy in the sub-region.
Touray, who was represented by Mrs Josephine Nkrumah, Permanent Representative of the ECOWAS Commission to Liberia, urged members of the ECOWAS Parliament to consider the role of civic engagements as a key strategy to building a more inclusive society.
He said that the ECOWAS Parliament’s delocalized meeting was apt and the Commission awaits recommendations from the meeting that would act as the springboard for both Parliament and Commission to ensure inclusivity of all ECOWAS citizens in the democratic process of the sub region.
Touray said: “The seeming disconnects between the governed and those who govern have contributed in part to the volatility of the sub-region leading to discontent in our communities.
“It is pertinent that in other to have effective inclusiveness and participatory government processes, our citizens must be engaged, involved and discerning.
“We look forward to a collaborative effort to building a more inclusive society in our governance processes for peace and security which are prerequisite to our economic and social integration as a sub region.”
Inclusion of Vulnerable, Marginalized Groups in Decision Making Key to Ending Crisis in West Africa- Tunis
News
Governor Buni commended for selecting Maigari for appointment as Commissioner of the Federal Character Commission
Governor Buni commended for selecting Maigari for appointment as Commissioner of the Federal Character Commission
By: Yahaya Wakili
Yobe state Governor, Hon. Mai Mala Buni CON, and Chiroman Gujba have been commended for doing the best thing for selecting Hon. Jibrin Maigari, Commissioner, Federal Character Commission, representing Yobe state.
The commendation was made by the executive chairman of the Nangere local government council, Hon. Samaila Musa FICN, while receiving the commissioner of the federal character commission, Hon. Jibrin Maigari, who was on a sensitization visit in his office.
He said Hon. Maigari is performing excellently because since this commission was created, we have never gotten the federal commissioner who has brought something tangible to Yobe, because in the past five years we have seen the result when he assumed office.
Musa maintained that, “His Excellency, Governor Mai Mala Buni CON, has done the right thing by appointing the right person in the right place, because I was a director in the federal service. I know how difficult it is to secure employment for the teeming youths.
He advised that His Excellency, Hon. Mai Mala Buni, should continue to put the right people in that place so that the right people will be employed. Adding that, before I came here, I had something in mind that we have youths who have completed their secondary education, and they could not secure admission into tertiary institutions.
According to the chairman, these youths performed; they had gotten the requirements to be admitted, but because of the family background of the family, they could not, and they feel that the local government should bring a package whereby the youth will compile their CVs and go to university, polytechnic, or college of education to secure admission for them.
“We have graduates who are diploma holders, NCE, HND, and degree holders. There is nothing doing; I had to believe that we are going to adopt entrepreneurial activity within Nangere, training them three months after training them. We come up with different varieties of skills for them to engage in different businesses and activities,” he said.
“So by doing that, we are able to train 500 youths, and at the end of the day, every youth will be able to engage four people, so plus him, there are five. So you multiply five times five hundred, and you have 2,500 employed, and we called it a blue-collar job because what a cola job these days is too easy. So we have to develop a plan or strategies whereby the youth must survive.
The chairman said we have a work plan already, and very soon we are going to develop it, because we have adopted that in the 2025 budget, and very soon, by the second quarter, we are going to embark on it. He noted that I have already discussed with the consultancy services of Yobe State University in that regard.
Governor Buni commended for selecting Maigari for appointment as Commissioner of the Federal Character Commission
World Medical Relief donates healthcare equipment to Yobe State
By: Yahaya Wakili
The Yobe State Executive Council has noted the delivery of healthcare equipment to the state donated by World Medical Relief in the United States. These equipment include hospital beds, infusion pumps, patient monitors, surgical instruments, and tools, amongst others.
Governor Mai Mala Buni CON disclosed this yesterday while chairing the first State Executive Council meeting held at the Government House in Damaturu.
The governor spoke about his administration’s human capital development effort, adding that in 2024, many people across the state were reached with various forms of support, particularly the students sent to India for undergraduate studies.
Briefing the newsmen on the outcome of the Exco meeting, The state Commissioner of Home Affairs, Information, and Culture, Alhaji Abdullahi Bego, said the governor reflected on the preceding year, noting it as one in which the state government was able to execute many projects and programs that have positive impacts on the lives of the people of the state.
He said the government has also built four modern sesame seed processing factories in Machina, Nguru, Potiskum, and Damaturu, and all of them have been completed 100% and will be commissioned soon.
In addition, all local government areas cut off by last year’s rains, especially in the northern part of the state, have been repaired and vehicular traffic restored, and the state government is also currently constructing a road from Potiskum to Ngojin and from Fadawa to Daya in the Fika local government area.
World Medical Relief donates healthcare equipment to Yobe State
Military
NAF AIRSTRIKES NEUTRALIZE SCORES OF BANDITS HIBERNATING AT ALAWA FOREST IN SHIRORO LGA OF NIGER STATE
NAF AIRSTRIKES NEUTRALIZE SCORES OF BANDITS HIBERNATING AT ALAWA FOREST IN SHIRORO LGA OF NIGER STATE
By: Olusola F Akinboyewa
The Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA (AC OPFY) has recorded another significant achievement in its counter-terrorism campaign, neutralising scores of bandits and dismantling their logistics base at Alawa Forest in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State. This operation, conducted on 21 January 2025, was based on credible intelligence and follow-up confirmatory aerial surveillance efforts which indicated an influx of armed terrorists into the forest. These criminals were linked to widespread violence, including two Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks on 19 December 2024 in Bassa, Shiroro LGA, which claimed several innocent lives.
In response, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) launched a three-day sustained air operation, code-named KONAN DAJI, to degrade the terrorists’ capabilities and render the forest unhabitable for them. To this end, AC OPFY dispatched a formation of fighter aircraft to execute air interdiction missions in the area. Upon arrival, the jets swiftly engaged the identified targets with precision strikes, neutralising numerous armed fighters and destroying their logistics base, as confirmed by multiple secondary explosions.
The NAF, in close coordination with ground forces, remains resolute in its commitment to maintaining operational dominance across the region. Sustained efforts are underway to eliminate all criminal elements from Alawa Forest and surrounding areas, ensuring lasting peace and security for communities in Niger State and beyond.
NAF AIRSTRIKES NEUTRALIZE SCORES OF BANDITS HIBERNATING AT ALAWA FOREST IN SHIRORO LGA OF NIGER STATE
Governor Buni commended for selecting Maigari for appointment as Commissioner of the Federal Character Commission
World Medical Relief donates healthcare equipment to Yobe State
NAF AIRSTRIKES NEUTRALIZE SCORES OF BANDITS HIBERNATING AT ALAWA FOREST IN SHIRORO LGA OF NIGER STATE
Roger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
EYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
News11 months agoRoger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
Opinions3 years ago
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
News10 months agoEYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
ACADEMICS11 months agoA History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Columns11 months agoArmy University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
Opinions3 years agoPOLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
Opinions11 months agoTinubu,Shettima: The epidemic of economic, insecurity in Nigeria
-
National News11 months agoFraud and Mismanagement Rock INGO’s IDP Cash Assistance Effort in Bama
